Lemieux seeks his fourth term
Conservative party incumbent will be hard to beat, writes Bruce Deachman.
THE CANDIDATES
Conservative (I): The 52-year-old Pierre Lemieux was first elected to the House of Commons in 2006, ending a 44-year Liberal reign when he won the seat by just 203 votes.
In the two subsequent elections, he’s built on that margin considerably, winning by more than 5,000 votes in 2008 and more than 10,000 in 2011. He has thrice served as a parliamentary secretary — for Official Languages, Veterans Affairs, and Agriculture and Agri-Food.
A Casselman resident, Lemieux joined the Canadian Forces as an officer cadet when he was 17, retiring from the Forces 20 years later as a lieutenant-colonel. He has a mechanical engineering bachelor’s degree from Royal Military College and a master of science. Before running in 2006, he worked in Ottawa’s high-tech sector.
Married to Audrey Lemieux and a father of five, Lemieux is a certified advanced open-water scuba diver and an active competitive shooter with the Canadian Sport Shooting Association. He is also a staunch pro-lifer. Website: pierrelemieux.ca Phone: 613-992-0490 Facebook: facebook.com/PierreLemieuxMP Liberal: Francis Drouin became active in politics when he joined the Liberal Party at 17 and spent two years as president of the Young Liberals of Glengarry-Prescott-Russell.
He subsequently worked for four years as a special assistant in the office of then-Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty as part of an internship program. He was campaign manager for Liberal MPP Grant Crack’s successful run at the legislature last year, as well as Liberal Julie Bourgeois’s federal nomination campaign in 2011.
He has a bachelor of commerce degree from University of Ottawa and a college diploma in personal finance at La Cité collegiale.
The 31-year-old Rockland resident won the party nomination in January, defeating entrepreneur Estelle Patenaude and former riding association president Jacques Taillefer.
Since 2008, he’s worked in Ottawa as a government relations consultant with Capital Hill Group, and a communications consultant with Capital Comms. He also sat on the board of directors of La Cité and volunteered as the government relations manager for Startup Canada, a non-profit organization cultivating a culture of entrepreneurship in Canada.
The 31-year-old lives in Rockland with his partner, Kathryn. Website: francisdrouin.liberal.ca Phone: 866-804-2267 Twitter: @Francis_Drouin New Democrat: A 49-year-old IT consultant, Normand Laurin was born and raised in Montreal. He studied law for a year at University of Montreal before changing tack and studying computer sciences at Montreal’s O’Sullivan College.
Laurin moved in 1998 to Vankleek Hill where he and his wife, Josée Thibault, bought their first house. He became involved in the community, at a local chess club and, later, giving piano lessons. An avid curler, he also works with the Council of Canadians in his free time.
This is Laurin’s first foray into politics. He joined his local NDP riding association a year ago as director-at-large and won the nomination last March. Website: normandlaurin.ndp.ca Twitter: @NLaurinNDP
These are matters that are before the court, and we don’t interfere with them. — Tory Leader Stephen Harper, when asked if one of his aides spoke with a witness at the courthouse during the trial of Mike Duffy